Gian Berto Vanni

From Magma, Life - Abstract Oil Painting with Brown and Beige Colors

1993

$5,200

About

Gian Berto Vanni's "From Magma, Life" is a 37 x 40 inch abstract oil painting on canvas. The painting comes with a simple gallery display frame in natural wood with a black reveal. The main composition is in brown and beige colors pierced through by small bright blue and green particles. The title of this piece alludes to the natural phenomenon of a volcanic eruption, and its destructive and yet creative power. Because the volcanic soil is very rich, once everything cools off, plants start growing again in a constant cycle of transformation. The title has a deeper hidden symbolic value as well, as it refers to the Greek myth of Mother Earth Gaea being born from Chaos. The configuration of this painting expresses a strong feeling of explosive power, with fragments flowing around in a vortex. The earth tones of the overall surface, pierced through by the vivid blue and green particles, impart the composition an idea of re-birth.
Gian Berto Vanni was born in Rome. He is best known for his vibrant and intellectual paintings where often abstraction fades into figurative and vice versa. His syntax is the result of a comprehensive variety of elements referencing from mythology to biology, from literature to his extensive traveling around the world.
He studied with Vordemberge-Gildewart in Holland and color theory with Joseph Albers at Yale University in New Haven. He has been actively involved in the Italian Art scene of the 60s, moving to New York City at the end of the 70s. He thought color theory at the Cooper Union School of Art in NYC for over 30 years. His works have been shown in the United States, Europe and Japan.